Explosion kills seven STC fighters in southern Yemen

Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) said Friday that seven of its fighters were killed in an explosion.

The attack took place Friday afternoon in southern Yemen’s Abyan governorate, according to the movement’s spokesman.

More soldiers were wounded, he said.

A similar attack late last month left three STC soldiers killed.

The STC in September captured a base formerly held by Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan, where it is currently waging an ‘anti-terror’ campaign.

The STC controls many governorates of southern Yemen and seeks to separate from the war-ravaged country’s north.  An independent, Marxist state existed in southern Yemen between 1967 and 1990. 

"The reality is that losing leaders and control over safe havens has forced the terror group on the run, rather than a resurgent threat as predicted by recent analysis."@CarvajalF explains how and why al-Qaeda is losing control in southern Yemen⬇ https://t.co/91laY35JXm

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 26, 2022

The STC's military wing, the Security Belt, is trained and equipped by the UAE and is tasked with fighting against local insurgents and militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, who often wage attacks in the region and kill members of the STC.

Other parts of Yemen are controlled by forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government or the Iran-backed Houthi group, which occupies the capital Sanaa.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Yemen’s civil war since 2014. The United Nations says the country is witnessing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.